


Something Old, Something New

by psychedelique



Category: Crystal x Gigi, RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dreams, F/F, Fantasy, Lesbian AU, Letters, Magic, Magical Box
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:40:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24719173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychedelique/pseuds/psychedelique
Summary: Crystal finds an enchanting jewelry box from the antique shop. Day by day, she discovers different journal entries hidden inside the box. Where is it coming from? What exactly is the music box? Most importantly, who is G?
Relationships: Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd
Comments: 149
Kudos: 124





	1. Music Box

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time to write long fanfics so please bear with me. :)

Old furniture, crumpled boxes, and a vintage-smelling scent surrounded the store, a fine tune of classical music playing in the background. It was packed with different shelves and racks, some were not-so-new clothing items that were still in good condition. The place was located in a small corner at the middle of the city, noticeable because of its brown exterior surrounded by colorful boutiques and shops. It was well known for its antique knick-knacks as well as pre-owned clothes. The youth adored the little shop because it was a place where they can get fashionable blouses and clothes for a lower cost. It was the trend in their city, buying something old and making it into something new.

It was a Wednesday afternoon, everyone was either busy with school or work so there were only few customers passing by the shop at that time. The store’s door opened, the bell rang and a girl wearing a white tee with splatters of colorful paint, her curly brown locks tied up in a messy bun entered. The owner immediately recognized the customer, greeting her with a big smile.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Crystal!” The owner greeted the customer as she fixed some items and placed them on the shelves. “The ‘new’ arrivals are at the back. You might want to see if you want something there before I put it on the shelves.” The owner pointed her thumb towards the end corner of the small store.

“Thank you, Ms. Jackie. Does that mean I get to have the first look?” Crystal was running her hands through the different blouses on the rack, searching for things to buy for her wardrobe.

“Of course! Special customer discount, for you!” Jackie shot finger guns and a wink to her regular customer, making the curly-haired girl chuckle. She continued to roam around the small store, trying on different outfits and checking out the vintage items.

Before paying for the items she wanted to buy, she passed by the end corner where the ‘new’ arrivals were placed. Picture frames, old European paintings, a few decorative trinkets, and some kitchen items. There were no clothes or fabric items unlike she expected but just some antique decorations for houses. As she scanned the boxes, a small shining silver box caught her attention. It had a tiny knob on the side, with its frame covered in golden swirls. It was a music box, the type where it has a ballerina inside dancing when the knob was twisted. Crystal excitedly lifted the lid, sadly there was nothing inside. Just a tiny mirror and an empty space. The stage where the figurine danced was present but no ballerina in sight. The girl tried to twist the knob and some twinkling relaxing tune played, putting a small smile on her face. The box was still working, there was just no statuette.

The music brought Crystal back to a memory of hers when she was a kid. She was about six or seven and her grandmother would play the piano, she and her mom dancing to it. They twirled and swirled around the living room, there skirts flying around, giggling at how funny they looked dancing. She was no dancer but she had fun. It was one of the fondest memory Crystal holds close to her heart.

Once the music stopped, Crystal was brought back to reality, her smile reflecting on the mirror. She shook her head, chuckling softly at her small reminiscing moment, before closing the lid of the music box. She skipped towards the counter, the smile still painted on her face.

“It seems like you found a treasure there. Have you found any jewelry or something inside that box?” Jackie commented as she looked at the smiling girl.

“There was nothing inside, actually. I think it was a music box but I can’t find where the dancing figurine is. I like the music though.” Crystal responded, helping Jackie put the items she bought inside a paper bag.

“Enjoy! Thank you, Crystal. See you around!” The two waved each other goodbyes after the customer paid for the items inside her paper bag. The girl walked back home, the fine melody of the music box playing inside her mind.

As soon as she arrived home, Crystal took out all the shirts and clothes she had bought from Jackie’s antique store. Since she did not have anything to do for school, she decided to level up her wardrobe. She had also passed by a craft store on her way home and bought some threads and rhinestones and glitters, a few of her favourite things. All afternoon, she spent it snipping and cutting the clothes she bought before placing stones and colourful glitters on it. If there was one word to describe the girl, it would be sparkling. She always shimmered, just like her name. Her room was no exception. It always sparkled due to the glitters lying around. It could be messy at these times, especially when she was too busy decorating her thrifted clothes. There would be times that she forgot where she put her phone or her bag or something else just because she accidentally dumped a large pile of cutout fabrics and materials above it. This week’s victim was the music box she bought from the shop.

The weekend came and it was scheduled to be Crystal’s cleaning day. She had finished a few garments that she was ready to wear to school the following week. Her room was a colourful mess. Glitters and threads all around, fabrics stocked on different piles on her table and chairs. The girl decided to clean the piles of cutouts she left on her table last. Before she finished cleaning, she noticed a paper bag underneath the fabrics. She opened it and was surprised to see the silver music box. She totally forgot to put it out after she bought it due to her excitement of her new clothes.

Crystal placed the box on the side of her vanity mirror. After she finished cleaning her room, she sat in front of her vanity and took the box to her hands. She twisted the knob on the side and the same graceful melody played softly. She traced the golden swirls on its frame, a faint smile painted on her face, the same grin that plastered a few days ago back at the shop. After the music stopped, the curly-haired girl decided to get some of the earrings and accessories lying around her table and put it inside the box. It was an empty jewelry box after all. As she lifted the lid, a puzzled look covered her face.

“Where did these come from?” Crystal took the folded papers out of the box and opened them. She was sure the box was empty when she bought it.

She opened one of them. The paper was a little bit crunchy to touch, color slightly fading and the corners a bit darkened. It also looked a little bit… old.

The first letter was written in a cursive writing, something Crystal had seen before but never used. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember whether or not there were any notes like this when she got it from the store.

The girl was about to put the letter back to the box when she noticed more letters. There were actually three of them. She decided to get the second one and read it as well.

After reading all three letters, Crystal became more confused than ever. Where did these all come from? She studied the paper, they all had the same texture and material, and all had the same torn up left side. _Maybe it was torn from a notebook or journal_ , she thought. She looked closely and noticed the signature at the end of all the letters. G. G? No one in her family had a name that started with a G. It was possibly from the owner of the music box. However, Crystal was completely sure that there were no letters or any items inside the box when she saw it in the store.

The curly-haired girl decided to brush it off and return all the three letters inside. She closed the lid and put the music box back to her vanity table.

The next day, Crystal was spending more time in her room to finish her school tasks. Her room was getting messier again as her art materials spread on the floor. She was busy making an art piece for her painting class. She decided to make a landscape of a house from a suburban setting, taking inspiration from the house in the movie The Notebook. She had never been to a house similar to that but she just loved the film so much that she was currently watching it on repeat while painting.

She was deep into her art process that a small noise that was not coming from her laptop would shock her. To her surprise, a familiar melody played along the movie she was playing. It was the same tune that accompanied the music box. Strangely enough, she was far from the music box so there were no any reason for it to play. _Maybe it was broken,_ Crystal thought to herself. However, she was drawn to take the music box to her hands. She skipped towards the other side of the room and pulled the box near her. She opened her lid. There were _four_ letters.


	2. The Fourth Letter

As far as Crystal can remember, the music box contained only three letters the last time she opened it. There were letters that were signed G. However, as she opened it the next day, another letter appeared.

“Crys, hon! Time for dinner.” A knock on her door was heard and her mom peeked from the tiny space.

“I’ll be down in a second.” She shut the box close and walked downstairs to have dinner with her family.

The dinner table was topped with a variety of dishes. There were no special occasion, it was just a family tradition for them to have dinner altogether and spend some bonding time on a Sunday night. The table was filled with food that Crystal’s father cooked for them, one of which was her all-time favourite.

The girl took her usual spot on the table, greeting her parents and her brother. They were having some conversation when her mother noticed how fast Crystal was eating.

“Why are you in such a hurry, Crys?”

“I just have a lot to finish for my school works.”

She obviously lied. She was just too excited yet nervous to read the letter that appeared inside the music box. She wanted to find out who might have left the letter inside.

“By the way, has anyone of you came to my room when I was asleep?” The teenage girl asked her family.

“I did. I just took the laundry from your hamper. I see that you bought some new clothes again. Where did you buy them?” Her mother replied.

“From Jackie’s. Have you seen any silver box on my table? Did you open it?”

“Nope. I saw it but I left it there. Is it now lost?” Crystal shook her head. She crossed out her mom’s name from her mental list of who might have touched it.

“How about you?” She darted her eyes towards her brother who was quietly eating his muffin. “You came to my room, didn’t you?”

“I did not. I don’t want to be touched by all the glitters in your room.” The siblings chuckled as they continued stuffing their mouth with food.

She was pretty sure no one from her family opened the box. It was still a mystery where the letter might have come from and she was determined to know the answer.

As soon as she finished her meal, she dashed upstairs and locked the door behind her. She took the music box in her hands and opened the fourth letter.

The words that Crystal read felt as if she got it from an old book about teenage love. She shook her head and let out a soft giggle at how stupid yet cute it was. It was signed with the same letter G. She wished there was more. The story of the person who wrote it and the blue-eyed guy they met seemed fascinating for her. She wished there was more to read.

After Crystal finished all her artworks, she read all the letters again. There were no dates written on it but she assumed she read it on reverse the first time. She also tried to arrange them according to the story written on it. Like a detective, the girl also examined the paper and handwriting on it. It was all the same. The letter G was written alike, so she knew it all came from the same writer. The edges of the paper had some sort of darkened effect, as if it was a vintage note from the past. The music box was a vintage trinket as well. More thoughts have entered Crystal’s mind as she continued to figure out the mystery behind the box and the letters.

The following day, the curly-haired teenager chose to visit the shop again after school to ask if the owner knew who the former possessor of the said music box. It continued to be a mystery to her and she was keen to find out the answers.

“Ms. Crystal! Welcome back!” The owner greeted the girl with her friendly smile before she continued cleaning the shelves. The curly-haired girl walked towards her and tried to ask about the music box she bought a week ago.

“Ms. Jackie, do you happen to know where the new arrivals you had last week came from?” Crystal picked up a piece of figurine that was on top of the shelf. She also took a fresh towel and started helping the owner as she wiped the ornament.

“Oh, that came from a nearby town. I think it belonged to some Avalon family or something. It was just some things from this old house. Why?”

“Nothing really. I just found some letters inside the box. I thought it was empty when I first got it here.” She continued to wipe down some items, putting it back carefully on the shelves once she was done with it.

“Are there any love letters? Like the ones from decades ago when they used to write mails?” Jackie’s dark orbs lightened up at the thought of vintage letters. She just had this deep interest with old objects, especially the ones that have wonderful back stories.

“I don’t think so. The ones I read were like journal entries or something. They were just short.” The curly-haired girl stuffed her hand inside her pocket and took out a small piece of paper, one of the letters she found inside the music box. She handed it to Jackie who opened it carefully as if it was some delicate object that needed gentle care.

It took a while before the older girl started giggling with joy at the love note she just read. Crystal gave her the fourth letter which contained the short anecdote about the blue-eyed guy.

“This is sooo cute, Crystal. Are there any more of these?”

“I left them inside the box. That’s the only one that mentioned about a guy. Most of them were about studying and daily things. Nothing interesting.”

“I should inspect the other objects. I might find something like this too. Especially about the other guy. I wonder if they ended up together.” Crystal let out a soft chuckle at the dreamy older lady, shaking her head slightly.

“I’ll go check if there are any more hidden on some mysterious drawer or underneath it. Who knows? Anyway, see you!” She shrugged her shoulders before bidding the owner goodbye.

The teenage girl walked from the store to her house, still thinking about the mystery behind the music box. She was convinced the letters were not there in the first place. Yet, how come there were letters that kept arriving almost every day. _Were there any secret drawer I missed? Or was it like a magic mail box?_ She shook her head at the thought of the magic mail box. How come it would be an enchanted box, it was just a simple jewelry box with some soothing music.

As she reached her place, she plopped down on her bed and took a nap. She was too tired to check on the music box for any concealed pockets or drawers. She was too deep in her slumber that she reached dreamland.

In her dreams, she saw a tall girl wearing a blush pink dress cinched around the waist, the skirt falling down the side like a balloon. She was twirling around, dancing with her group of friends. Her luscious red locks were pinned on the side, showing her slim carved jaw. Her eyes were soft and gentle, looking at them made Crystal feel safe in her dreams. The faces of her friends were faded however it was clear that they were wearing almost the same cut and type of dress that the red-haired girl was wearing.

They started giggling, pushing the girl wearing the pink dress towards a group of guys who were resting near the parking lot. The taller girl took Crystal by the hand and tugged her towards the group of men. There, she saw a guy with golden blond hair, chiseled jaw that housed those deep-set eyes that were light blue. The tall girl giggled softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Crystal was just there, standing, as she watched the red-haired girl chat with the charming man. Suddenly, an enchanting music was heard. The tall girl took Crystal’s hand again and they started running towards the street. They ran and ran until the sky started to darken and…

Crystal’s eyes gaped open, her chest moving up and down quickly as if she was trying to catch her breath from a long run. She was surely confused at such vivid dream that she had with her quick sleep. She looked around her room and noticed the jewelry box playing the same tune. She lifted the box and tried to look for a switch or a battery or something when unexpectedly, the letters fell down from the inside. There was something strange about the letters. Last night, she noticed how each notes was made from the same paper. This time, a peculiar looking sheet flashed before her. She picked up and certainly, a new letter arrived.

Crystal took out the aforementioned letter that was missing from the box. It was the letter that ‘G’ was talking about. How did she know it was not there? Was this box magical after all?

A surprising thought came upon Crystal. Her hand hurriedly grabbed a pen and a paper, scribbling some words.

A nervous look plastered on her face before she folded the note, shakily jamming it inside the box with all the five letters she have received. The fourth note was clipped together with her short message. She stared at the box, waiting to see if anything would happen. After a few minutes, she opened the lid and saw all the six letters inside.

“Maybe this was just nonsense.” She whispered to herself as she fiddled with the box. Her fingers found the screw that played the fine tune. She twisted on it and there, the jewelry box released the same soothing melody that she have heard in her dream.

The curly-haired girl then proceeded to do her school work. She had forgotten about the jewelry box or the letters as she was too busy with her tasks. She even fell asleep on the table in front of her laptop.

The next morning, her alarm went off. She quickly sprinted to the bathroom to prepare for school. She did not take long to fix herself and be ready for the day. As she was packing her laptop and books inside her bag, the music came off from the mysterious box once more. Anxiously, she opened the lid. She saw a black writing on top of the folded note.


	3. Await

The words written with blank ink in front of the newly arrived letter startled the teenage girl. She read it once more, to make sure she got it correctly.

The letter did indeed have her name on it. She ran her fingers through the print, feeling the deep strokes of the handwriting. It seemed freshly written yet timeworn. The color of the paper was fading on its sides, crisp to the touch. _It worked._

Crystal did not notice how long she was staring at the print until her phone suddenly rang. She quickly closed the lid of the jewelry box, took her bag and rushed downstairs to catch a ride with her friends. 

“You have been very out today, Crys.” A voice broke Crystal’s train of thoughts. She blinked a few times, eyebrows furrowed while looking around as she tried to locate where she was.

“Crystal, are you sure you’re okay? I’m pretty sure you’re fine knowing you got the highest score for the painting project.” Another girl poked her on the cheek, trying to get her back to the ground.

“Oh. It’s nothing. Thank you Jaida for driving me home today.”

“Chile, I always drive you home to school and back. Are you sure you’re fine?” The voice came from the driver seat. Even though Crystal knew she cannot see her gesture, she just nodded and continued to stare out of the window. Her friends shrugged it off and decided to leave her like that, just for that day.

The teenage girl was totally out of her mind the entire day. Her mind was obviously someplace else. She was very excited to arrive home and read the new letter she just received. Her mind can’t take its thoughts away from the printed letters on it. Someone received her note and gave something back. As astonishing as that sounds, there was this eerie feeling that Crystal sensed at the back of her mind. She could not explain it but somehow, she believed that letter might have had the answers to her questions.

As soon as she got home, she immediately ran to her room to take the letter out of the box. Gladly, it was still there. The same Hello Crystal print was written on top. The curly-haired girl’s fingers trembled as she took the paper to her hand. It was both terrifying and exciting for the girl, to receive a strange letter from a mysterious box.

The letter fell out of her hands as she continued to shake because of nervousness. As soon as she picked it up, she opened it and read the message.

A perplexed feeling covered Crystal’s head as she tried to read the letter once more. _Helpers. Journal. Secret. Trust._ These were the few words that kept ringing on the curly-haired girl’s head. Her mind was clouded with questions, the situation becoming more complicated than before.

She was certain that no one came to her room and leave those letters. No one in their house wrote like that. Who would even play tricks with her like that? It was an absolute fact that she also did not read that letter before so it just arrived that morning. Now, Crystal did not have clear answers. But she wanted more.

The teenage girl picked up a piece of paper lying around her table and started jotting down her message. She tried the best she can to fit all her thoughts into the letter and not let her confusion and nervousness get the best of her.

The teenager trembled as she wrote those words on the paper. _Is this some sort of pen pal thing? Are they still trendy these days?_ She thought to herself as she traced the writings on her paper. She read it once more before folding them to fit inside the box. Her letter was the only thing left inside the container, she left the letter she received outside.

Crystal waited and waited. For hours, she anticipated for another message from the mysterious sender. She also tried to do her home works and kept herself busy as she waited. However, when she opened the box, there it was. Her letter for G. Nothing else. No replies.

 _Maybe I’ll receive it in the morning,_ she assumed.

The sun rose and her alarm went off. Excitedly, she hurried down to get the box and open it. Unfortunately, there was nothing inside. The letter had not moved a single inch, signaling that it hasn’t been touched since the previous night. Surprisingly, it felt like a disappointment for Crystal. It was the first time she talked to someone through exchanging letters and she had been up most of the night thinking who that mystery G was and what she might be like.

It had been two long days and the brown-haired girl had not received any letter back from G. She made sure to check the box every other hour, yet nothing changed. Her message was still there, untouched. Not even a sign of any new letters that arrived. It was all the old entries and her last note. Crystal’s head was filled with anxious thoughts. _What if I scared her away? What if she thought I stole her box? What if she never writes back?_ These were just some of the questions that she asked herself. They have only exchanged letters twice but she felt familiar to her already, as if they have been attached for a long time.

Saturday came, Crystal and her friends were hanging out by her place to watch some movies and have some sleepover. It had been in their routine to have sleepovers once a month in each other’s places. That night, they have decided to hold it in Crystal’s house. It was preferable for the curly-haired girl as well, as she did not want to be far away from the jewelry box, looking forward to receiving some sign from the mysterious girl. That night, they have decided to watch a horror film. Lying down on their bellies and munching on snacks, they spent the night watching different scary flicks.

During one of their breaks, they chose to play _Never Have I Ever_. It was one of those games that if they have done the activity that was mentioned, they have to take a shot or get a point deducted.

Rock came first. “Never have I ever… made out with someone at the party to get a ride home.” All three girls darted their eyes on Jaida.

“What? That was one time. I did not bring my car. Ugh. I hate you all.” The rest of the girls giggled while Jaida drank her shot.

“Next, let’s have Ms. Heidi Afrodite!” Rock, a girl with large orbs, dark hair cut just above her shoulders with her prominent dimples showing called on their other friend, Heidi. The dark kinky-haired girl touched her ‘fro as she winked at her friends.

“Well, well, well. Never have I ever went back to my ex over a text and some cheap flowers.” All eyes were still at Jaida, trying to stop their laughs as they watched their friend down her shot.

“Why am I all your target? I hate it here.” She put down her drink and looked around the room, eyes landing on the curly-haired teenager. Her eyebrow raised before she started talking. “Never have I ever been… ghosted.”

Ohs and Ahs were heard inside the room as they all looked at Crystal. They all had one specific girl in mind, the one that broke the teenager’s heart months ago.

Crystal had been talking to this girl for five long months. They used to go to museums together and do their artworks in each other’s company. They also have met each other’s friends and hung out several times over the course of those months. The curly-haired girl had also been planning to make it official with her but all of a sudden, she received nothing from the girl. She left her with nothing but bittersweet memories and a broken heart. It was unknown until that day why the girl suddenly disappeared but happily, Crystal had moved on already.

“What do you mean ghosted? Like been visited by a ghost? Like the one on your… shoulder?” Crystal stared over Rock’s shoulder as if looking at something or someone. Her friend just rolled her eyes at the lame joke.

“Go take your shot alre-“

All of a sudden, a soft tinkling music filled the room. They all started screaming in shock as the jewelry box started playing its melody without them even playing it. The box was on the other side of the room, and they were all on the floor gathered together. Hiding their face with a pillow, they all cramped together on the corner, still screeching in horror. It took a while until Crystal realized what the music meant. _Another letter just arrived_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [A/N: I just wanna say thank you so much for the support I have received from you all. Even if it was just a kudos or comment, I really appreciate it. I’m sorry Chapter 3 and 4 are quite late. I hope you enjoy reading them!]


	4. Exchange

The girls were having a sleepover and were playing _Never Have I Ever_ when suddenly, a relaxing music coming from the jewelry box was heard. It took quite a minute before Crystal realized what that meant, another letter from the mysterious girl. Unknowingly, she associated the sudden tune with the letters coming from G. She immediately jumped to get the box and opened it, snatching the letters inside. Her letter was still there along with the newly arrived one.

“Girl, that’s very scary. No one was even near the music box.” Jaida commented as she walked over to where Crystal was.

“Is that broken? Or maybe it’s haunted. You got it from the thrift shop, right Crys?” Rock followed, standing beside the curly-haired girl. She took the box in her hands and examined it.

“I think it’s quite damaged. But it’s beautiful so I bought it. You all know me.” She tried to direct the attention back to their planned activities instead of the jewelry box.

Hours have passed and the girls slowly fell into deep slumber, except for Crystal. She made sure that all of her friends were asleep first before she took out the letter from her pocket. She sat down by the window, trying to get some moonlight as she opened the note she received from Gigi.

Crystal had to read the letter twice to completely understand what the mysterious girl said. She was pretty sure she wrote a reply to Gigi but the letter was not successfully delivered to her. _Something might have gone wrong_ , she thought to herself.

With a paper and a pen in hand, Crystal started composing her reply to the unknown writer. She was still sitting by the window, looking out at the bright moon from time to time as she wrote her message.

As she inserted her two letters inside the box, the knob on the side caught her attention. Her mind wandered at the times when she received the letters from Gigi. During those instances, the music from the box played without her doing anything to it. She bit her lower lip and tried to see if her speculations would work. She turned the knob carefully and the soft tune occupied the room.

After counting for about 20 seconds, she tried to open the lid. Her hand was shaking but she managed to lift it up. To her surprise, she almost dropped the box but good thing she was holding it on top of her lap. The letters were gone! Crystal couldn’t believe what she just witnessed. Her notes were vanished. It was just a minute ago when her letters were inside then now they disappeared.

The teenager took another paper and scribbled her short message.

Crystal excitedly turned the knob after inserting her little note, trying to see if it was successfully delivered to the other girl. When she opened the lid, there were no signs of the three letters that she have sent. A big, eager grin plastered on her face as she finally realized how to send letters to Gigi.

The morning came and Crystal woke up at the sound of the music box, signaling that another letter just arrived. She quickly ran to where it was and opened the lid to see a new message from the girl. The teenager checked her friends first and saw them still fast asleep and so she sat by the same spot on her window from last night and read the letter she just received.

“Hey Crys, what are you doing there?” A sleepy voice interrupted Crystal from finishing her reply to the other girl. She glanced at where the voice came from and saw Heidi with her curly afro all over the place, it was apparent in her face that she just woke up.

“Nothing!” The teenager immediately kept the letter she was writing inside the box and put it aside. “Do you want some breakfast? I’ll make some toast for everyone.”

“No thanks, I’ll wake Rock so she can cook for us. I am pretty sure your mom does not want to wake up with a burnt kitchen.”

“You’re mean, Heidi. But yeah, let’s wake them up.”

The four girls were eating breakfast downstairs and chatting up about some friends from school but Crystal could not focus. Her attention was completely with the letters she received from Gigi. She could not stop thinking about it. She wanted to finish quick in order to write back to her. Even though the whole situation seemed freaky and bizarre, it was very exciting, to have someone to write to.

The curly-haired girl found it totally odd to own a mysterious and magical music box but she just couldn’t get rid of it. Especially now that she was able to write back to the mysterious girl that had been sending notes for some time. Crystal was definitely friendly and she found it thrilling to find another friend, even if they have not met yet, in person.

After breakfast, the girls had said goodbye to each other and went home. As soon as they have left, Crystal dashed to her room and picked up the letter she was writing earlier.

She excitedly turned the knob and found her letter disappeared. She decided that she would do some school works first as she await for Gigi’s reply.

It was around noon when Crystal heard the music from the box, notifying her that a new letter had arrived. She instantly stopped what she was doing, grabbing the box and opening up the letter from the girl.

The teenage girl’s eyes fixated on the description of the jewelry box that Gigi owned. It was the same as hers. Small silver box with golden swirls on the frame. However, Crystal’s did not have any ballerina. Hers was probably broken by the previous owner.

She picked up the box in her hand and inspected it as she wanted to describe it in details to her next letter for Gigi. She let her fingers caress the sides of the box as she looked at it intently. Her eyes landed on a faded engraving near the knob. It was slightly diminished so she looked closer to see it clearer. She saw an imprinted _G_.


	5. The Letter G

The teenager held up the box closer to her face and looked carefully at the engraved letter near the knob. There, she saw a faded letter G. Crystal held up the letter and examined both Gs. They seemed to be similar, having the same strokes and handwriting. This grew more suspicion in her mind. The box will remain a mystery as long as she find all the answers she needed.

Crystal read Gigi’s letter once more before she started composing her reply to the girl.

For the rest of the day, Crystal spent her time researching in her laptop. She searched the net about magical boxes or mailboxes. She read about teleportation and quantum computation, particles and the like. The things she saw on the internet made her feel more confused and befuddled at the idea of the letters. Just yet, the engraved letter G at the side puzzled her more. Gigi’s box had the same engraving.

Once again, she read all the letters that were with her. It was mostly the ones where they started talking and exchanging letters. She examined the handwriting and the paper used. They were all made with the same material, quite faded and darkened on the edges and crispy to touch. She once again looked at the box while reading Gigi’s description of hers. She was more convinced that they have the same music box.

Crystal occupied herself with decorating some of her clothes yet again. She knew Gigi might not reply for that night so she distracted herself with other things rather than waiting for her letter. Around midnight, she plopped herself on the bed and easily fell asleep under the covers.

The teenage girl walked into dreamland. In there, she was sitting down on a picnic cloth in the middle of a meadow, trying to cover her legs with the skirt of the cerulean dress she was wearing. She was busy looking inside the picnic basket when she suddenly heard a soft voice calling her name. As she looked around, there was no one in sight, except a wooden door. She was about to continue scanning the basket when she heard the voice once more, this time it was coming from the door. It slightly opened, a girl with scarlet waves peeked in. She called Crystal’s name once again, her hand reaching to her. The teenager stood up and strode towards the door. She walked and walked but the door was moving farther and farther away from her. Crystal started running, reaching her hand forward to touch the other girl’s palm. The scarlet-haired girl kept calling her name softly, keeping her hand out to reach for the teenager. Crystal held out her hand further, reaching for the fingertips when…

A soft music started playing from across the room, waking Crystal up. She already knew what it was for and so she excitedly hopped towards her vanity and opened the music box.

The way the words were written with harsher strokes and heavy pressure made Gigi’s feelings obvious as she was writing the letter. It made Crystal furious as well, knowing that no one deserves a guy like that.

Wanting to comfort the other girl, Crystal immediately got a sheet of paper and her pen as she wrote her reply.

Reading Gigi’s description of the girl from her dreams made Crystal feel uneasy. She looked at the mirror and can totally see the girl Gigi was depicting in her letter. Could it have been her?

All afternoon, the two girls spent exchanging letters. They talked more about their bizarre dreams, their dreams in life and their interests. Gigi talked about having her own dress shop as she and her friends were very much interested in making clothes, meanwhile Crystal stated about wanting to hold an exhibit for her artworks. Both girls mentioned how they both adored art, most especially painting. In one of Gigi’s letter, she mentioned about joining an art competition a year ago. She also attached a picture of her and her artwork.

Crystal held that photograph in hand. It was all in sepia, making it hard for the teenager to identify the colors in the picture. It was surprising to her how people still took pictures and print it out into hard copies. She moved it closer to her face as she looked at girl in the photograph. However, as much as she tried to look at it closely, the face of the girl was all blurred out.


	6. The Sketch

With the photograph still in her hand, she tried to look at it under the lamp to see if there were any marks or clues for the faded face. However, there were none. It was completely blurred out. Crystal put it on her vanity mirror, staring at it for quite a while before writing a reply to the other girl.

In her letter, she mentioned how the girl’s face was erased in the picture. After writing her reply, she attached a drawing of herself. She did not have any printed photo of hers so she decided to just draw herself.

In the next days, the two continued exchanging letters. Even in class, Crystal would find herself looking at the clock and wishing for class to be over so that she could go home and read what Gigi had to share for that day.

“Hey Crys, who’s that?” A loud voice took Crystal away from her thoughts. She had Gigi’s photo in her hand, staring at it as if waiting for a face to appear. She quickly put it back in her pocket but her friend Rock was able to snatch it from her.

“Oh who is this? She looks kinda nice. What happened to the face tho?” Jaida was now holding the picture, looking at it closely. “New crush? Is she from one of your classes?” She chimed in.

“Girl, that’s mine!”

“Chile, I know. I won’t steal her from you, she ain’t my type. But seriously, who is this?” The three of them sat around Crystal’s desk, propping their elbows on top of it as they anticipate the teenager’s answers.

“Her name is Gigi. I met her at the thrift shop.” Crystal was not lying though. Visiting the thrift shop that day was the reason why she met her mysterious writer.

“What else? How is she like? I am very curious, girl.” Heidi commented, poking Crystal by the shoulder as she demanded for immediate answers.

“She… is very talkative, but in a good way. I like reading what she had to say. She also like arts, she actually painted that piece in the picture. She is also sweet and kind, like the type that won’t even kill a bee even if it stung her.” The teenager let out a chuckle at her own comment about Gigi. It reminded her of the time they talked about that time Gigi went to the hills with her friends. That story made her smile while reading it, the same smile showing now as she talked about her.

“But why do you even have a photo like this? Don’t she send you pics on Snapchat or something?” Rock shook the photograph in her hand, letting it shake in front of Crystal’s face.

“Well, the thing is… we don’t talk online. We exchange letters. Like the handwritten ones.”

“Just like in the 50s or something? Are you like pen-pals or something? Chile, that’s old school.”

“Wait wait, I think I remember Crystal reading a love letter back then when we spent the night at her house.” Heidi added to their conversation, remembering the time she woke up to Crystal sitting by the window and writing something on a pad.

“Yeah, that’s it. I was writing back to her.” Crystal took a deep sigh before continuing. “I’m going to say a secret but I hope you won’t freak out. Remember my jewelry box?”

“Have you gotten it fix? It’s really creepy that it just plays music on its own.”

“I don’t have to fix it. It plays that way because it means that she already sent me a letter.”

The three girls were stunned and froze on their seats. They were flabbergasted at what they have heard from their friend. It took them a minute to completely process the thought. It was Jaida who spoke first.

“You mean that box is _magical_? Like it has powers or something?”

“I think so.” Crystal continued to explain about how she and Gigi exchanged letters, the things they have written about and shared with each other. The whole time she was talking about her, a honey-dipped smile plastered on her face.

As soon as she arrived home, the first thing she opened was the magical box. Another letter from Gigi arrived which she excitedly opened.

Reading that letter, especially the last paragraph, made Crystal’s lips spread into a joyous grin. For some unknown reason, it comforted her and made her heart skip a beat.

An idea came into Crystal’s mind. She immediately grabbed two small pieces of paper and some pens. Her hand worked its way through the paper, sketching and doodling a few lines. When she was done, she looked at both of her drawings, making sure it was alike. She also checked Gigi’s letter from a few days ago, making sure she was accurate in her drawing according to Gigi’s description. It was a sketch of them, the two smiling widely while holding some letters. It was Crystal’s way of picturing them together even if they could not be together at that time.

For some reason, Crystal would always have a beam on her lips whenever Gigi would greet her good night. For the past days, they have been sending small notes as well such as a short morning or night greeting.

Crystal also put her drawing by her vanity mirror, staring at it for a long time. She wondered how Gigi and she can meet. She let herself get lost in her thoughts, imagining how they would their first meeting be. Little did she know, she fell into deep slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [A/N: Thank you so much for the support and being patient with the updates. I hope you are all liking the story so far. Thank you, really. I appreciate all of it. <3]


	7. The Two of Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [A/N: I am really sorry it took a very long time to post this one. I got caught up with a lot of stuff but I am trying to write and post as much chapters as I can in the next weeks. Thank you for all your support and for patiently waiting for this story. Enjoy!]

Surrounded by green grass, Crystal walked around the meadow. She let her hand down, touching the beautiful flowers she saw. As she walked around, she saw a tree with a picnic cloth underneath it. As she walked closer, she saw a figure sitting by the picnic area. It was a scarlet-haired girl, the same girl she saw a few days back. The girl had a slightly chiseled jaw, her hair wrapping her face as the wind blew. Her almond eyes were looking down at a piece of paper she was reading. As she lifted her face, Crystal saw her button nose, perfectly positioned in the middle of her face. The teenager walked closer to her. She noticed the girl holding a small piece of paper which looked like a photo of two girls smiling. Crystal approached slowly.

“Uhm, hi.” She greeted softly, showing a small smile on her face. The girl looked up and Crystal saw her face clearly. She knew that face but could not pinpoint where she might have seen it before.

“Hello Crystal. I have been waiting for you.” The girl replied with a big grin plastered on her face.

A loud ringing from her phone went off, waking Crystal up. She realized she was still on her vanity table as she fell asleep while looking at her drawing of Gigi and her. She checked her phone and saw a missed call from her friends.

As she put down her phone, she caught a glimpse of the drawing by her mirror. She looked at it intently and her dream came to mind. She immediately grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote down to Gigi.

Crystal went to her bed and wrapped her arms around a pillow. She can’t stop thinking about the weird dream she had. Somehow, the girl from the dream reminded her of someone. She reminded her of Gigi. It fit the description of how she looked like in one of Gigi’s letters. She felt eerie at that thought and decided to just close her eyes and go back to dreamland.

The next morning, Crystal excitedly opened the music box. She saw a newly arrived letter inside, smiling as she read Gigi’s reply.

Reading Gigi’s reply mesmerized and stunned Crystal. It was peculiar, having the same dream. _What does this mean?_ She thought to herself as she read the girl’s letter again. She would glance at the picture she drew from time to time, staring at her drawing and remembering the scarlet-haired girl in her dreams.

It was a windy Thursday afternoon. Crystal was able to finish her classes early that day and so she decided to pass by the thrift shop. It had been a long time since she came by and that afternoon, she just had the urge to visit. She looked around and saw Jackie by the corner, putting out some items from a box.

“Hey!” She greeted as she approached the owner. A wide smile flashed on Jackie’s face as she saw her visitor.

“Ms. Crystal, it has been so long. How have you been? I suppose you got a little busy.”

“Oh, yeah. There were just a lot of requirements to accomplish for school. Got anything new today?” Crystal walked around the small shop, scanning the new blouses on the racks.

“Yeah, I also got new coats at the back in case you need some for winter.”

Crystal then proceeded to walk to the other end of the shop were the artworks were placed. A riveting painting caught her eyes. It was a portrait of a girl smiling while looking down. The curly locks almost covered her face, except her eyes and her smile. The painting put a small beam on Crystal’s lips, for some reasons it just made her happy. The artwork was really mesmerizing to look at.

The teenager moved closer, staring at the painting. The strokes were really good and the colors the artist chose was exquisite. She noticed a writing at the lower corner of the painting. She saw a letter C written on it with the year ’59 beside a signature. She let her fingers run through the written words before going back to looking at the portrait.

“Would you like to buy that, Crystal?” A voice broke the silence as the owner walked closer to the teenage girl. The girl shook her head, offering a faint smile.

“Maybe next time. It’s a very pretty painting, though. The painter got some amazing skills.”

That night, Crystal was tailoring some clothes she just bought from the thrift shop when she heard the jewelry box started playing its soft tunes. It immediately put a smile on her face as she knew that Gigi sent her a letter. She excitedly hurried towards her vanity and opened the box.

Crystal was once again surrounded by green grass, the breeze blew past her. She walked towards a familiar-looking tree. Just then, a flowing skirt from behind the tree caught her attention. She walked towards it and saw the same scarlet-haired girl standing while facing a canvas.

“Hey.” With a nervous feeling, Crystal greeted the girl first.

“We meet again.” A delighted beam flashed on the girl’s face as she glanced at Crystal.

“What are you painting?” Crystal nudged her head towards the canvas. She moved closer to the girl as she waited for her reply. The other girl looked at her once more, making Crystal feel more comfortable with the stranger. There was just something in her eyes that felt safe for Crystal. It was as if they were not strangers at all.

“I was just painting the grass. I have no subject yet.” She picked up a brush and tapped it on her palette, looking around.

“Well, what inspires you? Right now.”

“Hmm… No idea. Wait, I want to give you something, Crys.” The scarlet-haired girl dug her hand inside her pocket before handing a folded paper to Crystal. As Crystal opened it, a pleased look covered her face. It showed a small sketch of Gigi and her, the scarlet-haired girl laying her head down Crystal’s lap. It was a delicate drawing and it put a huge smile on the teenager’s face.

“Wow, did you make this?” The other girl nodded, smiling back at her. The curly-haired girl continued to look at the picture. On the other hand, Gigi got herself busy with the paint brush as she painted her subject.

The morning came and Crystal woke up to the music from the magical box. She opened it happily and read Gigi’s letter.

The letter from Gigi confirmed that last night’s dream was no ordinary dream. They met once more. Even if it was through that, Crystal did enjoy their time together. The dream was vivid and clear, even to her memories, as if it really happened on her conscious reality.


	8. Sunset

The sun was shining brightly, the sand glistening under its presence. The water calmly rolled up to the shore then back down to the sea, the sound of the waves surrounding the area. Under a beach umbrella, Crystal was trying to set up the picnic blanket as she waited for her company.

“Am I late? I apologize for not being on time.” A soft voice spoke, making Crystal jump up her seat. As she looked up, she saw a slim figure covered in a polka-dotted swimsuit. Her scarlet red locks was topped with a big beach hat, eyes covered by a pair of black sunglasses. The saccharine smile on her lips was the thing that made Crystal recognize who it was.

“I just got here, G.” The curly-haired teenager patted the space beside her, asking Gigi to sit. “Do you want anything to drink? I don’t know what’s inside but I can make you something.”

The two focused themselves on the items inside the basket that Crystal brought with her.

“Isn’t it funny that we are now at the beach when usually we meet at that meadow?” The two girls chuckled, sipping on the juice that Crystal made earlier.

“Do you want to take a dip in the water, Crys? I bet the water is cold.” Gigi nudged the girl beside her, smiling excitedly from ear to ear.

“Isn’t it a bit early for a swim? Plus, you just put on your sun cream.” The smile from the other girl’s face turned into a small pout, making Crystal laugh. She settled herself on the blanket, her back leaning on the huge basket she brought with her.

“Oh… right? Good thing I brought a book. Do you want to read with me?”

“Sure!” To her surprise, the scarlet-haired girl plopped herself on top of the blanket, her head placed on Crystal’s lap as she opened her book.

The two girls spent some time reading a book peacefully at each other’s presence. From time to time, Crystal’s fingers ran through the red locks, softly humming as they read together.

“Time for swimming!” The red-haired girl shut her book close and tried standing up, brushing off the sand that stuck to her legs. She offered a hand to Crystal which she immediately pulled away before running towards the shore. “Ha!” Her loud giggles covered the surroundings, making the curly-haired girl shake her head at the other girl’s silliness.

“Why are you like this, Geege? Don’t make me catch you or else-“

“Or else what? Are you going to throw me to the water?” She looked at Crystal, slowly walking backwards to the sea. “Or else?”

“Ugh, why are you like this to me? You’re not mean when we write letters.” The teenager stopped on her tracks, her lower lip pushed forward as she tried to act cutely.

“Am I too mean? Oh no, I am sorry, Cry-“

“Got ya!” Wrapping her fingers around Gigi’s arm, she tugged on her and pulled her towards the water. As the water reached above her knees, Crystal stopped on her tracks. “I think we’ll be fine here.”

“Don’t tell me you do not know how to swim?” Gigi’s laughter surrounded the area as she splashed water on a shivering Crystal.

“I… I know how! I’m just not very good at it, you know.” Crystal splashed back, some water hitting the other girl directly on the face, immediately covering her face with her hands. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. Are you okay? Wait, let me get a towel.”

“Ouch… You will have to pay for that!” As Crystal was about to turn back to get a clean dry towel for Gigi, the taller girl started pushing big splashes of water towards the teenager.

“Is this a payback? How very dare you?” The pair continued splashing water towards each other, their laughter echoing throughout the whole beach.

As the afternoon breeze blew past them, they took a stroll along the shore, leaving footprints on the sand.

“How is your painting going so far?” The teenager looked eagerly towards Gigi, anticipating any update from her art competition.

“Wow, why does it seem like you are more excited than I am? Well, I have started painting already. Actually I’m almost done. Just a few finishing touches. I can’t wait to show it to you.”

Crystal looked around the area where they were, scanning every inch of the place as if trying to memorize it all in her mind.

“This place is beautiful. Being here with you makes it more perfect than it is, you know that?”

“This seems like a long dream, Crys. How I wish we can just stay here.” The taller girl glanced at the teenager beside her, walking slowly on the shoreline.

“I wonder if we could meet in real life too. I mean, when we are awake. I want to really see you, Geege.”

“Me too.”

They continued their stride along the beach, exchanging different stories about their lives. As they walk side by side, they seem to move closer to each other, their hands slightly brushed against each other’s skin.

The curly-haired girl glanced at their hands, slowly poking her pinky on the back of the other girl’s hand. The taller girl kept her eyes on the sand, silently nudging her hand back to the teenager. Crystal let out a soft chuckle before she slowly interlaced her fingers with Gigi’s, a small smile creeping on her lips. The scarlet-haired girl took a quick look at their hands, beaming as well, as they went on their sunset stroll.

A loud alarm sound woke Crystal up from her deep slumber. She opened her eyes and noticed how her lips were forming a big grin. She vividly remember the details from last night’s dream, very clear to her memory.

She immediately grabbed her pad and a pen and wrote her good morning message to her friend. As she was composing her letter, she heard the music from the jewelry box, signaling that Gigi sent her a letter.

When she opened the lid of the box, she saw the letter Gigi had sent her. A huge grin plastered on her face, she took it out before sending her letter back.

As if last night’s dream was already enough to make her day, Gigi’s letter was the cherry on top. She held it closer to her as she giggled profoundly on top of her bed, smiling from ear to ear.

A few days have passed since they had their first date. The two exchanged more letters, still talking about their daily lives and dreams.

One night, Crystal received exciting news from Gigi. She had also marked it in her calendar. It was the day of Gigi’s art contest.

The teenager excitedly opened the box and saw a letter from Gigi.

Aside from the letter, Gigi also attached a photograph of her holding the piece she made. It was a portrait of a smiling girl. Most of her face was covered with her curly hair except her eyes and smile. Somehow, the painting felt familiar to Crystal as if she had seen it somewhere before.

Crystal held that photograph in hand, proud of what her friend Gigi achieved. She turned the picture and looked behind, noticing a small note.

Curiosity hit Crystal’s mind. She wanted to look for news article about the art contest, mostly in order for her to gather more information on how she can meet Gigi in person. She was so proud of her friend that she wanted to celebrate that special moment with her.

She opened her laptop and typed in “Smith Memorial Art Contest”. She had to scroll down a lot since she was not able to see any news article about such art competition. It took her a minute to find a page about it. One title caught her attention, it mentioned about the first female student who won the competition, just like how Gigi described it. She read the article and suddenly froze at what she came upon.

“ _Smith Memorial Art Contest had been held every fall for almost a decade in honor of Doctor Charles Smith. It was mostly dominated by men for the first few years of the competition. However, a female student from the small county of St. Clair, Illinois broke the record in 1959.”_


	9. Your Smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you for all your lovely comments!!! I have been away for a month but I'm glad you all are still interested in this story. You all are making me soft <3 <3 <3 Thank yoooou :''>

The teenage girl found herself confounded at the information she just read. _Gigi. 1959. Gigi. 1959_. Those were the thoughts that echoed in her mind as she stared at her laptop screen. _How is that even possible?_ She read the whole article, looking at the pictures of newspaper articles about the art contest. She also saw some pictures during the competition, even a picture of the winner. Her hands scrambled its way through her desk, looking at the letter and the photograph that Gigi sent her.

“ _Smith Memorial Art Contest had been held every fall for almost a decade in honor of Doctor Charles Smith. It was mostly dominated by men for the first few years of the competition. However, a female student from the small county of St. Clair, Illinois broke the record in 1959.”_

Crystal spent the night thinking of the possibility of Gigi living her life back in the 50’s. Questions consumed her mind that she forgot to congratulate the girl or greet her good night. She woke up feeling tired, dark circles under her eyes.

School and her school works weren’t able to help distract her from the revelation she just discovered the night before. It hadn’t left her mind since the last evening. She sat by her desk, staring at the picture of Gigi beside the drawing she made of them few weeks prior. Suddenly, the jewelry box started playing music, telling her that the other girl sent her a letter which she decided to read the next morning.

The letter from Gigi suddenly felt surreal. The thoughts of the other girl coming from a different era remained unbelievable for her. It didn’t feel right, but it wasn’t wrong either.

She found herself lost in her thoughts as she stared at the drawing of them on the side of her mirror. Slowly, things started to patch together, as if like slowly completing a puzzle. Gigi’s handwriting, her choice of words or clothes or the way she sent her those old photographs. It never occurred to her why she did not ask her of her phone number or anyway she can contact her online but it all made sense. She couldn’t. It was because she was from a different time than Crystal.

The next afternoon, Crystal found herself walking towards the thrift shop that her friend Jackie owned. She was greeted with a welcoming smile from the owner.

“Miss Crystal, how are you?” Jackie spoke as she put some trinkets on the shelves. “There is a new batch of sweaters that arrived yesterday. It’s just back there.”

“Do you still have that painting?” The teenager walked over the art section, scanning the place for the art piece that she had her eyes on the last time she went to the store.

“Which one? There are a lot of paintings there.”

“The portrait of a girl. It’s this smiling girl.”

It took her a few minutes before she spotted the painting. A big smile flashed on her face as she recognized the portrait that Gigi painted. Her fingers slightly stroked the edges, running her thumb on the signature on the lower corner of the artwork. It definitely was Gigi’s work.

Crystal left the shop feeling triumphant and excited as she take home the portrait that Gigi made. The memory of that dream when she met the scarlet-haired girl, the one when the other girl showed her a sketch of the two of them together. However, the reality of them being separated by time haunted her as she made her way home.

Her hands dropped on her side, the teenager walked on a field of green grass, her fingers touching the flowers surrounding her. She continued her stroll until she arrived on a clearing, a small lake at the end of her view. There, she saw a young lady, sitting down while reading a thin booklet. She moved closer towards the picnic area when she saw the same portrait she just bought from Jackie’s thrift shop.

“Finally.” The young lady let out a soft sigh as she put down her book before standing up and wrapping her arms around Crystal. “You made me worry. I am glad you are here now. I missed you.”

Crystal remained quiet as she sat down beside Gigi, looking inside the picnic basket as she tried to distract herself from looking at the other girl.

“Are you all right? Is something wrong, Crys?” Gigi’s soft voice echoed in Crystal’s ears. She looked up at the girl and gave her a small smile.

“No no. I’m fine. Congratulations on winning, by the way. I’m sorry I was just busy with school works so I had no time to send you a letter. I got caught up with everything.” The teenager tried to liven up her voice but she knew what she said was a lie. In fact, she was trying to avoid Gigi after the information she learned.

“Oh, no problem and thank you! I brought it here with me today. I was planning on giving it to you in reality. I just didn’t know how. Maybe you can send me your address and I’ll gift it to you!”

“No need.”

“What do you mean? I want to give it to you as a gift.” A hint of disappointment was heard from Gigi’s voice as her sweet smile turned into a frown.

“I… I actually just bought the painting. Your painting.” Crystal whispered in a low voice, not expecting Gigi to actually hear it.

“Bought it? But it’s not for sale… and how?”

Crystal picked up the frame and a faint smile crept on her face as she stared at Gigi’s artwork. “You did really incredible on this one, Geege. I love it very much.”

As if what she heard earlier was nothing, Gigi’s frown slowly shaped into one of her honey-dipped smiles. She was fascinated and thankful that Crystal loved her work. “Thank you. It’s actually you, in that painting. Your smile is my happiness.”

The corner of Crystal’s lips formed a bigger smile then dropped after hearing Gigi’s words. The young lady must’ve noticed the change in her mood. She put her hand on top of Crystal’s hand which the teenager pulled away in an instant.

“Crys, darling, what’s wrong?”

Silence filled the area as the teenager slowly put down the painting. She turned to look at the lake in front of them, staring at the vast horizon. It was getting a bit dark but they both didn’t mind. They were focused on just the two of them, sitting there by the lake.

“Everything. Everything’s wrong.”

The look of confusion painted on Gigi’s face as she took Crystal’s hand once more. She caressed it softly, trying to comfort the other girl. “W-what do you mean?” Her voice slightly cracked as she gazed at her.

“I think we should stop from here.”

“Stop? Crystal, I am deeply confused with everything you are telling me right now.”

“We can’t go on anymore. We have to stop this delusion. We have to stop writing to each other. We have to… _end this_.” Crystal’s voice broke off as she shared her sentiments to the scarlet-haired girl in front of her.

“W-what do you mean? Why? How can we stop now?”

“I don’t know. I just know that we should cut ties.”

“No. I can’t not be with you.”

Crystal covered her face in frustration as she faced the other girl. “But you have to. We can’t go on like this.”

“But I like you.”

The sudden confession from Gigi caught the teenager by surprise. She did not know what to feel as the hearing someone liked her that way especially that it was Gigi. For the first time, Crystal wanted to wake up from her dreams. She could not believe what the scarlet-haired girl had uttered and the fact that she didn’t want to tell her the truth face to face made it more difficult for her.

“No. I’m sorry, Geege.” She took a deep breathe before she continued. “We… we can’t be together.”

“What do you mean? I know it’s the 50’s and people would frown upon us. However, we don’t have to listen to them. We can be together. We’ll fight… _for us_.” The young lady took Crystal’s hand with her both hands but the other removed it from her grip right away.

“Do… do you not like to be with me, Crystal? I thought our date the other time went well. I thought you would have feelings for me too.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is?”

The teenager picked up the portrait and the corner of her lips showed a small, sad smile. Her eyes darted on Gigi who was wiping her tears.

“Thank you for bringing this here and wanting to give this to me. But I saw it from a thrift shop, the same place I bought your jewelry box from. And I bought it.” She took another deep breath before continuing. “We can’t be together. You said it’s the 50’s but no, it’s not. It’s 2019 already. We are years apart. We can’t be together.”

Crystal saw Gigi’s lips moving as if saying something but everything slowly became blurry. She was hearing no sounds, except the sound of someone weeping. As she touched her own cheeks, she noticed them being wet. When she opened her eyes, she was back in her room, tears flowing down her face. She looked around and saw the portrait that the other girl painted of her. A slight pain was felt on her chest as she felt more sadness inside. It reminded her of last night’s dream.


	10. Lone Bench

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you so much for all of you who are reading my work. I appreciate the comments and the kudos you are giving me here. It really encourages me to write more so I can update quicker.   
> If you want to leave a comment, you can always write one here. Those also make me know how you feel about the chapter or if you have any suggestion or ideas about what might happen, you can put it there. *wink wink*
> 
> Anyway, I’m really grateful to all of you. Enjoy this chapter!

School was not enough to distract the teenager from all the thoughts that were bothering her especially last night’s dream. That morning, she was walking down the hallway with her friends when she randomly opened a classroom door and tossed her bag inside thinking it was her locker. The thump of her bag dropping on the floor got her back to her senses for a while, just enough for her to take it back and continue walking with her pals. As they were all having lunch together, Crystal was busy trying to finish her homework. She was about to sip on her juice when her friends took her pencil away from being punched into her juice box. Her friends were quick to notice that something might have been wrong with how Crystal was acting that day.

“Hey!” The curly-haired teenager whined as she tried to get her pencil back.

“Do you see what you are doing?” Heidi waved the pencil right in front of her face. It made the other girl blinked in confusion as she looked back at the juice box.

“Chile, you don’t look so good. We know something is bothering you. What happened?” Her friend Jaida pushed her food aside and plopped her arms on top of the table, leaning closer to Crystal.

“No-“

“And don’t you dare tell us nothing. Girl, it’s all over your face.”

“Is there something wrong with your grades? We can help you!” Rock cheerfully offered, a bright smile flashing on her face. The girl in question shook her head before continuing on opening her juice box.

She took the juice straw and positioned it towards juice box. As she was about to poke a hole using her straw, the name she was dreading to hear was mentioned by her friend. “Gigi?” Crystal exhaled a big sigh before shifting her focus on the juice box.

“What is wrong with Gigi? What happened? Did you fight?”

The curly-haired teenager dug her hand into her pocket before taking out the last photograph that Gigi sent her. It was the one holding her winning piece. After they looked at the photograph, Crystal showed her phone screen where they can see a similar photo of the first girl who won the art contest. It was dated back in 1959. Looks of bewilderment painted her friends’ faces as they tried to analyze the information Crystal showed them. It took a while before they were able to process the things she revealed. 

“I… I don’t understand.” Rock was the first to react after a full minute of silence.

“Is that the Gigi you are talking about on that picture? Maybe that’s her grandmother or something! Maybe they just look so alike.” Heidi shrugged, trying to offer a suggestion to comfort her friend.

“I wish it was her grandmother.” Crystal sadly uttered, looking at the photograph that was given to her by the young lady. Her eyes shifted to the portrait she was holding, the painting that she did of her when they once met in the meadow. The one that showcased Crystal’s beautiful smile, unlike the one painted on her face that moment.

“What do you mean?”

Crystal took a deep breath before explaining everything she found out over the past days. She told them how they were exchanging letters for the past few months and how they would stumble upon each other in their dreams. The dream part got a few confused faces and reactions from her friends which she thoroughly explained and confessed that she too was confused about how they were meeting in their sleep. She also mentioned about the painting she saw and bought from the thrift shop, the same one Gigi was holding on her photograph.

“Let’s get this slowly. The music box, hers?” Crystal nodded abruptly.

“And you are exchanging letters through that box even if she claims that she still has her box.”

“You even meet in your dreams? So you can control your dreams? Have you gone on a date yet?” Heidi nudged her elbow towards her friend teasingly, trying to lighten up the mood. She was serious on the question though, curious if the two even went on a date or if it was just some hallucinations that she had of the young lady.

“But what exactly are you two? Are you like dating?” The curly-haired girl shrugged her shoulder as a reply to Rock’s question. Her eyes never left the photograph, trying to remember in her mind how delicate and sweet Gigi’s face looked when she smiled at her before.

“Crystal, honest question. Do you like her?” Jaida straightened her posture, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she was anticipating the teenager’s response.

Her fingers fiddled on the photo, staring into Gigi’s excited figure. She made a mental picture of Gigi, standing in one of her cute dresses, holding onto the portrait she made of her, smiling with her sweet, cherry-tinted lips. Unknowingly, a faint smile slowly crept to her face. Even with its minute size, her friends took notice and saw the slight happiness that was present on the teenager’s face.

“Does she know?” Heidi asked softly, patting her friend’s arm smoothly. Crystal looked down, her shoulders dropping, as she shook her head and let out a sigh.

“She told me she likes me. Last night.”

“And you didn’t say anything back? Chile.” Jaida rubbed her face with her palm as she shook her head in disappointment towards what Crystal shared.

“I told her we can’t be together. Telling her about my feelings won’t change that fact.” Rock and Heidi nodded in unison at Crystal’s statement. Somehow, they agreed to what their friend realized. In their mind, the confession won’t even make sense anymore. It won’t change time or move Gigi closer to Crystal so they can be together.

However, Jaida chose to disagree. “Even so… don’t you think she deserves to know?”

“And for what? What will it do if Crys tells her how she feels?” Rock chimed in, leaning backward as she crossed her legs in defense.

“Well, it’s your choice. Just make sure you won’t have any regrets and what ifs.”

Crystal fidgeted on Gigi’s picture once again, biting her lower lip as she took a deep sigh. Her shoulders sunk down as she stared at the young lady’s photograph. “Do you think I would regret it?”

“At least she would know. You need to let her know. Then decide on what you should do about it… together. It shouldn’t be you who is the only one deciding. Give her a chance to know and be in control too. Or at least give her a choice.” Jaida offered a comforting smile to Crystal as she passed her a juice box.

Two sleepless nights have passed and Crystal hadn’t heard anything from Gigi nor saw her in her slumber. She kept on replaying in her mind what Jaida advised the last time they talked about her ‘relationship’ with Gigi. For a few times, her last encounter with the young lady would also playback, which made her somehow regret how she said some words she uttered. She tossed to the right side and turned on the other but still couldn’t make herself fall asleep. She decided to jump back up and sat on the side of her bed, staring blankly at the portrait that the other girl painted of her. With a pen and a blank paper in hand, she scribbled and doodled on the empty page but no words came out of her.

As if fate was playing with her feelings, the music box suddenly rang. It froze her in her seat, a shiver running down on her spine as she realized what the music meant. She surely did miss the sound, the letters, and of course, Gigi. So, she immediately ran to her vanity and opened the letter that she was waiting for.

The teenager sat on her bed, stunned at what she just read. Mixed emotions devoured her thoughts as she internalized what Gigi wrote in the letter. Her confession reminded her of the words Gigi said the last time they met. It comforted her, knowing that the other girl was serious and was feeling the same way. However, the last paragraph was truly surprising. _Arrange marriage? Who does that? Gigi getting married to someone else?_ She thought to herself. The letter slowly drifted from her fingers and on to the floor as she found herself staring at the drawing of them together with raging tears in her eyes.

“You’re getting married?!” The curly-haired girl rushed towards the young lady, holding on to the letter she read a few moments ago.

The scarlet-haired girl sat on a lone bench by the lake, fingers laced together on top of her lap as she waited for the teenager to arrive. Her face was painted with surprise and confusion as she saw her dash towards where she was sitting.

“Crystal…”

“They’re playing on us, huh?” Crystal walked back and forth in front of Gigi as she tried to hold back the tears that were about to burst from her. “Who is this guy? Is he this Daniel guy you talked about before?” The scarlet-haired girl shook her head as she tried to reach her hands out to hold onto Crystal’s arms, trying to calm her down. The other swatted her hands away, angrily pacing back and forth.

“How did this happen? Why are you suddenly marrying him? Did you really agree on this?” Crystal’s fist were tensed into a ball, her jaw clenched as she walked in front of Gigi, this time her pace becoming quicker.

A soft whisper escaped Gigi’s lips as she looked down at her interlaced fingers on top of her lap. “Mother found out about the letters. She thought it would be best for me to stay away from you. Father’s business is also declining. He needs financial help. They are also doing it for the family’s business.”

“Business. Are you some sort of payment or item they can sell to have a better business? Oh please.” The teenager scoffed at the thought. This time, she turned to Gigi and muttered her words through clenched teeth. “And why is that? What is wrong with me?”

Gigi bit her lower lip as she continued to calmly answer Crystal’s questions. She reached out to hold Crystal’s arms and make her stop walking for a while. “She wants me to marry someone we know. Lawrence’ family has been a family friend for a long time. Mother and Father knows his family. They said it’s going to be good for business and for our families as well.”

“And now you’re going to go marry him. Go! Leave! Leave me just like that.”

“W-why are you being like this? Weren’t you the one who said we should end whatever this thing that is happening between us? Then why are you being like this, Crys?” Tears couldn’t help but exit Gigi’s eyes as she let her hands fall from holding Crystal. She turned her back away and tried to wipe her cheeks but to no avail. It continued on falling down.

The aggravated teenager’s face fell weak as she stared at the weeping girl in front of her. The echo of Gigi’s cries filled Crystal’s ears, breaking something fragile inside of her. She can’t help but blame herself for making her shed tears. She slowly reached out for her shoulder before swaddling her into her embrace.

“I… I’m sorry, Geege. I- I didn’t mean to shout at you like that.” She ran her fingers gently on her hair, trying to console her.

Gigi crashed onto Crystal’s shoulder and buried her face at the crook of the teenager’s neck as she sob sadly. Meanwhile, the other girl wrapped her arms around the young lady, pulling her tighter towards her hug. “Gigi, I’m sorry.”

“W-why are you b-being like this, Crys? I thought you already wanted to end things between us.” The scarlet-haired girl looked up and saw Crystal’s comforting face looking back at her. Her pleading eyes seemed to make the teenager soft and weak.

“I… I seriously don’t know. For all I know, we can’t be together, like ever. Then now, I’ll hear that you have to go marry someone. Do you really wanna be with him?”

“I want you, Crys. I want to be with you. I want to do whatever it takes just to be with you.” Gigi’s hand found its way to cup the teenager’s cheek, moving closer towards her. She gently rubbed her thumb across the softness of her face, staring with her sad eyes on the girl in front of her.

“We are literally years apart.”

“Still.”

The teenager took a deep breath as she held the young lady closer to her. She leaned in to her ear and mumbled. “I also want to be with you, Geege. I’m sorry that I just don’t know how or what to do.”

Gigi pulled slightly away and gazed at the teenager with a perplexed look on her face. That was the first time she heard the exact words she wanted to hear from her. It somehow comforted her knowing that the other girl felt the same that she wanted to be with her too. However, there were some things she couldn’t understand about the girl. She looked back at Crystal, tilting her head to the side. “You are confusing me. One time, you’re mad at me, the next thing you’-“

The sentence was cut off by a pair of lips landing on the young lady’s mouth. Her soft almond eyes bulged widely as she froze on where she was sitting, mind blankly wandering to nowhere. Right then, she knew her question didn’t need words for an answer. Her answer was already being given to her. Crystal was delicately pressing her lips against the other girl, caressing her cheeks softly with her fingers. She was careful. To her, Gigi was an art piece that needed extra care. She was gentle with her as she give her the kiss that she have always wanted to do.

It took a minute before the teenager pulled away. However, her face was pulled back towards the young lady, their lips touching once more. This time, the kiss wasn’t stiff. They leaned towards one another for support as their lips exchanged passion and flame. They weren’t cautious anymore. Instead, they focused their attention on each other, pouring out all the unsaid feelings they had for one another. They both knew that they had time of the world there, right at that moment. They felt each other’s smile against their lips as they pulled away softly, leaning their foreheads against each other.

“T-that was a first.”

“And here’s a second-“ Crystal cupped both of Gigi’s cheeks on her palms as she placed a peck on her lips. “-and a third. Fourth. Fifth.” The teenager kept showering her lover with butterfly kisses on her lips, the couple giggling contentedly.

Gigi was the first to break the cheesiness as she pushed Crystal away at an arm’s length. She put her palm to cover the teenager’s lips as she softly uttered. “I am serious. I want to be with you.”

“Me too, Geege.” She mumbled against her skin, tracing her thumb against the young lady’s soft cheek as she looked deeply into her eyes.

The scarlet-haired girl dropped her hands to her lap and looked down, releasing a deep and heavy sigh.

“Something wrong, Geege?”

“But my mother. What am I going to say? What should we do?”

The words that came from Crystal’s lips made the young couple astonished. It sounded bizarre for a moment. They had no clue how they were going to pull that off or if they were ever going to be successful. Nonetheless, they believed in each other. A hint of hope appeared on Gigi’s almond orbs as she heard what the other came up with.

“ _Let’s run away_.”


	11. Runaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your kind words, comments, and for reading this work of mine. :"">  
> I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing. This is the first long fanfiction that I’ve written and I am happy to receive such positive feedback. Speaking of long, this is quite a lengthy chapter. I really had fun writing this chapter. Hehe. Anyway, you can leave a comment down below if you loved it or if you have any questions/speculations of what might happened next. Enjoy this chapter!

“ _Let’s run away_.”

Waking up with the biggest smile on her face, Crystal immediately got up and took a piece of paper to write a good morning message to her lover. Her mind kept wandering on last night’s events, what they talked about, running away together, and their kiss. Even if it was just a dream, Crystal can still feel Gigi’s lips on hers, her touch lingering all over her body. It was all too vivid, the scent of her scarlet locks and the taste of her honey-dipped lips were all the teenager could think of. There would be times that she found herself staring at the wall, reminiscing last night’s memories. As she was about to finish her letter, she heard the music box play indicating an incoming note from the young lady.

Crystal was not the type who typically likes cheesy or mushy lines from anyone but reading it from Gigi seemed to be an exception. Smiling from ear to ear was an understatement of how the teenager was feeling at that moment. She was ecstatic.

She grabbed her pen and continued writing her morning message to Gigi. She was feeling too much happy emotions that she was able to finish writing the letter in a very short amount of time. She was _that_ excited to talk to her again.

The teenager energetically got up and cleaned her room. In contrast to yesterday’s gloomy atmosphere, that day seemed to be brighter and lighter. Crystal was humming as she picked up the random pieces of clothing from her bedroom floor and tossed them to the laundry bin happily. She also put on some cheerful music that suited her mood.

That merry and smitten feeling wasn’t a stranger to Crystal. She sure have felt that way before however, this time was different. There was something about the young lady that got her infatuated. As much as she tried to figure out the reason, she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly have gotten her head over heels towards Gigi. Despite knowing the fact that they were years apart, the feeling was exciting. The way that they haven’t even met in their waking reality and she hadn’t even seen or felt her other than the times they met in their dreams felt mysterious. It didn’t matter at all to Crystal. She was just so sure about this one.

After a few hours, she propped herself on top of her bed and opened her laptop, looking at towns where they plan to run away to. Of course, she couldn’t get Gigi off of her mind. She was thinking of her as she read and read until she slowly fell asleep.

“There you are!” A pair of long arms made its way around Crystal’s waist from behind. The teenager, looking perplexed, turned around and found herself standing in front of a huge building full of stores and boutiques. She glanced at the person hugging her which immediately put a beam on her face.

“Geege, hi. Missed me?” The young lady pushed her bottom lip forward, nodding in response. The cuteness made Crystal roll her eyes jokingly, poking the tip of her perfect little button nose.

“Where are we?”

The brown-haired girl took the girl’s hand and pulled her inside. They found themselves surrounded by a lot of people and loud music. Pinball machines, hoop games, bowling machines and different play stations surrounded them. Gigi was looking around curiously as she stopped in front of a claw machine. It was full of snuggly animals which caught her attention.

“Do you want me to get one for you?” Crystal offered as she pushed a coin inside the machine.

“I didn’t know that you could get toys from a claw machine. The ones I see in town are just full of candies. Or maybe there are toys there too, but not as cuddly as these ones.” She stood beside Crystal as she pointed which toy she wanted.

The teenager operated the machine, biting her lower lip as she tried to aim the claw towards the colorful stuffed toy that her girlfriend wanted. She pressed the button with a hundred percent certainty that she will get the stuffed animal.

“Aw!” She kicked the machine in frustration as the toy landed nowhere near the exit. She walked around the machine, observing and planning on how she was going to aim for the toy the second time. Then, she inserted another coin, giving it another try.

“I don’t think this machine is working, Geege.”

“Let me try.” As Gigi was about to take control, Crystal gained more determination to win her a toy. She put another coin and took the controllers, aiming for the stuffed animal that she wanted. She turned to the sides, making sure that she aimed correctly. When she was sure that she would get it, she hit the button and waited for the claw to pick the toy up. To no avail, she failed once again.

The young lady took over. As she was calmly moving the controllers, the teenager was watching on the side, pouting sadly as she could not get a toy for her. The lonely pout turned to a big smile as she heard her girl cheering happily. She bent down to pick up her toy, hugging it close to her with the happiest grin on her face. “I won!”

“Wow, G! On the first try? Impressive. I bet the machine just doesn’t like me. Hmp.”

They continued walking around the area, hand in hand. Gigi had the toy on her other hand as she slightly swayed the other that was holding onto Crystal’s. The teenager glanced at their intertwined fingers then back at Gigi, a small crescent forming on her lips. She didn’t realize how far they were walking, she was too enticed by the young lady beside her. Their tracks stopped when they reached a dance machine which caught Gigi’s curiosity once more.

“What’s this?”

“This is a fun game! It’s Dance Dance Revolution. You can choose a song to dance to and then you just have to follow the steps. You need to step on the arrows that will be shown on screen. Okay, watch me.”

Crystal picked her song and started playing the game. At first, her confidence was on the roof as she tried to show off her dance moves. She glanced at Gigi from time to time who was very amazed at the dance machine. She did her best to follow all the arrows but her two left feet didn’t allow her to do it successfully. The young lady didn’t mind. She was just happily watching her.

Panting heavily, Crystal walked to Gigi and smiled. “So, that’s how you play the game. I’m quite good at it, you know.”

Gigi let out a soft chuckle before pulling the other girl closer to the machine again. “I challenge you.”

“You? Challenging me? Oh sure. What are we betting on?” A smug smirk appeared on Crystal’s lips as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Oh, I know. The loser will have to grant a wish.”

“What kind of wish, Crys?”

“Anything. It’s up to the winner.”

“Deal.”

The two stood in front of the Dance Revo machine, competitively looking at each other. Gigi was the one to pick a random song she hadn’t listen to before. It was quite a fast yet unfamiliar song but nonetheless, one of them did it successfully. They were holding onto the rail tightly as they both tried to step on the correct arrows. After a few minutes of dancing, Crystal fell on the floor as she breathed tiredly. Meanwhile, the young lady jumped around, cheering for her own win.

“How… could you… do that? I thought you don’t know this game.” Crystal uttered in between her heavy breathing as she looked up at the other girl, pouting her lips once more.

“Yes, I don’t know what this game is but it’s easy to play!”

“It’s not! That was a very fast song. My feet almost got tangled.” The taller lady laughed as she shook her head before handing Crystal a handkerchief.

“It was not that hard. You did incredible, my love.”

“Hmp. How are you just amazing in anything you do? With the claw machine, with this one. Is there anything you can’t do? What else can you do?”

Gigi let out soft giggles at the compliment she received before leaning closer to Crystal. The tip of their nose were touching as the young lady muttered under her breath, “Name something.” The smug comment from Gigi made Crystal roll her eyes before she placed her hands on the scarlet-haired girl’s cheeks, cupping her face. She leaned in quickly to leave a light peck on the other’s plump lips.

“Now Ma’am, what do you want me to do for you? You won the bet. Your wish is my command.” Crystal pulled away, bowing in front of her like a knight in shining armour which gained chuckles from the young lady.

“Hmm… I’ll hold on to that win. When we meet, I’ll let you know.”

“Let’s try this one!” Gigi tugged on Crystal’s hand as they went inside a photo booth. The couple sat down and adjusted so that they can be seen on camera.

“Should we try some poses? Or props?”

“The two of us would be enough, Crys.” Gigi moved closer to Crystal, smiling widely at the camera. The teenager put her arm on Gigi’s shoulder, leaning her head closer to hers as she showed her smile. The camera clicked.

“Another one. Hmm, maybe we should do a silly pose, G. Show me your ugly side. You always look pretty. It’s getting quite unfair.” The two giggled as they showed their funny faces, Crystal crossing her eyes and throwing her hands to the air while Gigi sticking her tongue out. _Click._

For the third photo, the teenager tried to think of a couple’s pose that they can try. Crystal lifted her left arm on top of her head and made an arc by dropping her wrist towards Gigi. The young lady looked at Crystal weirdly but still tried to copy what she was doing using her right arm. _Click._

The young lady moved closer towards the other girl. Her face was inches from Crystal, the latter feeling Gigi’s breath on her skin. She wanted to look at her as she wondered what she was doing but instead just looked at the camera. Before the camera shot their last photo, Gigi leaned as she softly whispered, “I like you.” The teenager couldn’t help but smile at the sudden confession which made the other grin happily while looking at her girl. _Click._

After the final shot, Crystal took a deep breath before turning her body towards Gigi. She put her hand on Gigi’s neck which sent shivers down her spine as she felt the coldness of the teenager’s palm. They both leaned in and their lips met halfway. It was obvious to the both of them that they were really yearning for each other’s kiss. It took a few seconds before the two heard their photograph finished printing. They pulled away from each other with the sweetest curve on their faces.

Gigi excitedly showed it to Crystal, smiling from ear to ear as she scanned the photos that they have taken. “These are so adorable! Look at that!”

“What are we doing in this third picture? I thought that was supposed to be a heart.” Crystal laughed as she pointed at their third photo, which turned out to be a circle instead of a heart formed with their arms.

“You are so beautiful here, Geege. I wish I could take this home.” Her smile slowly turned upside down as she sadly stared at their photograph, holding it closer to her. The young lady cupped her cheeks and pulled her face closer.

“Hey, don’t feel glum. We can take more pictures soon, when we meet.” The taller girl bumped her nose against the other, smiling happily before taking her hand and walked around some more.

“Speaking of… maybe we should talk about our plan, G.”

“Oh yeah! About that… I have to tell you something.” Gigi and Crystal found their way towards a car which was parked in an empty lot. They sat inside, the brown-haired girl still holding on to the photograph.

“Is something wrong?” Crystal turned to look at the scarlet-haired girl, nervously biting on her lower lip.

The young lady took the other’s hand, placing it on her lap as she caressed it tenderly. “Well, I’m just going to get this out there. I want to be 100% honest with you. Mother wanted me to get closer with Lawrence, before our wedding. So she wanted me to take some of my things to his house.”

“Oh.”

“Rose and Nicolette helped me out. Didn’t I tell you, Rose and Lawrence are actually cousins, that’s why we are sort of friends too. Anyway, I brought some of my things to their house and my friends helped me out. I also told them about you and our ‘plan’. They are willing to help us out, Crys.”

A tiny hint of hope appeared on Crystal’s eyes as she listened to what Gigi was telling her. The two of them meeting in their waking life soon didn’t seem like an impossible matter anymore. She believed that there’s a huge chance she can be with her in reality, not just in their sleep.

“That’s great, G. I really can’t wait to be with you soon.” She took her hand and rubbed her thumb against the top, drawing small circles on her smooth skin.

“Me too, Crys.” The teenager leaned closer towards Gigi as she planted a gentle kiss on her lips. The other girl replied with the same softness, smiling afterwards.

“I like you, Crystal.” She mumbled in between their lips, looking intently in her dark orbs. The other girl smiled back before moving closer to give her another smooch. As she pulled away, she brushed her cold fingers on her cheeks, making the other flinch a bit before snuggling her skin on the other’s hand.

“Oh, by the way, you still have the painting, right? Maybe you can show it to me in person soon, when we officially meet.”

“That’s a great idea, Crys! Maybe we can meet soon. Well, soon for you anyway. I’ll be a lot older when we meet. I wonder if you would still find me pretty.” Gigi looked down and pushed her lower lip forward into a pout, which the other girl found cute. She leaned in and gave it a quick peck before sitting back to her former position.

“I bet you will still look glamorous like you are right now. And even if you have all those wrinkles and what not, I would still fall for you.” Crystal’s words made the young lady blush, looking away only to see a movie playing on the enormous screen in front of them.

“Oh, they are playing _Roman Holiday._ I have seen this film once with Nicolette and Rose. Have you watched this?”

“Not yet. I am willing to watch this with you. We can watch a lot of movies together. I’ll bring my laptop with me when I come visit you then we’ll have movie marathons. Wait, umm… a laptop is this computer that you can bring anywhere with you. It can store a lot of files and you can watch videos and movies there too. There’s a lot of things you can do.”

Even though Gigi had no idea what Crystal was talking about, it still put a smile on her face. She watched her, her eyes glistening with happy tears as she listened to what she was saying. “I would love that, Crys.”

Crystal turned to Gigi, hugging the colorful toy they won earlier from the claw machine closer to her. “I have a question, Geege. When we meet, what’s the first thing that you will do?”

“Hmm… Maybe I would wrap my arms around you and hug you tight. And say that I have been waiting for you, like when we first met here. I remember saying that. It’s true though, I have been waiting for you.” The scarlet-haired girl delicately let out a laugh. “What about you? What will you do?”

“I will… wrap my arms around you, like this.” She demonstrated, wrapping her arms around Gigi’s tiny waist, pulling her closer to her as she leaned closer to her ear and muttered. “And I will tell you how much I have been waiting to hold you like this. I will lean closer to your ear and I’ll tell you how much I like you.”

“How much?”

Crystal paused for a bit as she took a deep breath before leaning back to meet Gigi’s gaze. “You mean so much to me, Gigi. I am willing to do anything just to be with you. When we meet, I am willing to stay with you. I don’t care if you are years older than me. To me, you are still the Gigi I met through the letters. You are the same Gigi that I think of every single day. I am willing to take care of you, Geege.”

Tears were welling up in Gigi’s eyes as she listened to Crystal’s honest confession. She tilted her head to the side, smiling softly. “I like you so much, Crys.”

“Me too.”

The couple inclined towards one another as they shared another kiss. This time, it was passionate. Like their first, they poured all of their raw emotions toward each other onto the kiss. There wasn’t a moment of hesitation. Even if it was just a dream, Crystal could still feel the tenderness of Gigi’s lips against hers, the warmth of her skin and her sweet scent just millimeters away from her made her knees frail. Her fingers wandered on her back as if they had a mind of their own. She felt flutters on her stomach as she noticed Gigi’s hands running through her curly hair, brushing her fingers on it as she played with her brown locks. Her heart decided to skip a beat as a wave of chills crawled on the back of her spine. Gigi was all she could think of. Her scent consumed her senses. Her lips were oxygen, it was the only thing that mattered to her, the only thing she needed to keep her alive.

As they pulled away, Crystal gazed deep into her orbs, getting lost. Gigi was the first one to say something, her cheeks showing hints of red as she remembered their burning exchange. “How I wish we can stay here for evermore.”

“Me too, Gigi. I can’t wait to see you. I know it will be a very long time for you, but I will come for you. Please wait for me. Are you willing to do that?

Their surrounding started to fade one by one. The cars around them were disappearing into the background, everything turning black and white. Crystal didn’t mind. She focused her stare at Gigi, holding onto her as she heard her mutter softly, “I am. I’ll be waiting for you, Crystal.”

It didn’t take long before the teenager went back up to consciousness, rubbing her eyes gently to remove the sleep away. Last night was vivid in her mind, everything was stamped in her memory. Remembering all of Gigi’s smiles and kisses were the highlight of it all. Just the thought of it made her feeling euphoria. She stood up and just then, the music box played its soft tunes. She opened the lid excitedly and read her lover’s letter.

The brown-haired girl looked at her reflection in the mirror, taking a deep breath as she composed herself. _Gigi. I will be meeting Gigi now._ She thought to herself as she fixed her hair and put on her best clothes. Her heart was hammering on her chest, beads of sweat watering her head as she walked back and forth inside her room. Her hand was shaking profusely as she inserted the jewelry box inside her bag, taking in some pen and paper just to have a form of communication with Gigi for the moment. She also took her small drawing of them, the one in her vanity mirror. Crystal made sure to bring things that may remind her that she was the Crystal that Gigi was talking to.

A few hours have passed and the teenager arrived at her destination. She looked around the unfamiliar place, strangers flocking the streets. She made sure she had Gigi’s letter wherein she wrote the address where they would be meeting.

Her pulse was gradually increasing underneath her skin, butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she anticipated Gigi’s arrival. The teenager’s heart pounded hard against her ribcage as she watched every person passing by. Mind flickering towards the thought of her meeting her lover at last, made her anxious. She tried looking at their hands, to see a familiar piece of jewelry, the ring she gave to Gigi. Her hands fidgeted on the last letter Gigi gave her. With the jewelry box in front of her, she waited for her. She wrote a few more notes for Gigi, saying that she arrived already, but got no reply at all.

 _What if I wasn’t what she was expecting? What if she saw me and disappeared? Or what if she doesn’t remember me at all?_ She talked to herself as she sat down on their meeting place. _No. I am confident. She did not forget about me. She will be here soon._

As if the world slowly disappearing in front of her, her hopes slowly started to dim and fade away. For hours, she remained in one place. She tried her best to stay optimistic. She kept herself upright and strong. For Gigi, she kept waiting…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that one! 
> 
> I'm just gonna put a warning here that there will be some changes in the tags/rating/warning of this story once I put the next chapter bcs I finally made up my mind on what will happen. I wanna apologize in advance if I didn't put a warning there before when I first started posting this story. I'm really sorry. :'<
> 
> I'll update the next chapter soon. Thank you and enjoy! :">


	12. The Portrait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I am really grateful to everyone who has ever read this work of mine. I appreciate all the likes and the comments you have sent me. You all are the best. I love writing this fic so much and seeing you all enjoy it means so much to me. Thank you! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. You can leave a comment below so I’ll know what you think of this. Your comments brighten up my day. Again, thank you! Love you!! ❤️️

Two weeks have passed and there was not a day that Crystal drove to Clayton to look for Gigi. The first week was desperate. She stayed in the same area they were supposed to be meeting in hopes that her lover might have just forgotten the exact date of their rendezvous. It was obviously unsuccessful. For the second week, she drove around the city taking a chance that anyone passing by might be or knew where her lover might have been. She was slowly losing determination and at the end of the second week, she would just go back to the same meeting place and wait there. She didn’t passed up any chance to write a note to Gigi. She made sure she tells her where she was currently but to no avail. Her presence was always missed. There were no replies nor any sign of her.

“Crys, you need to stop at one point. Look at you. You need rest.” Jaida pushed her friend down to sit down on her bed as they all gathered to comfort her. During the days that she was roaming around the city, her friends took turns to accompany her, also to make sure she wouldn’t get lost as well. They never left her side.

“No. What if she turns up? What if I missed her?”

“It has been weeks, Crystal. Wake up.”

The four friends all gathered in Crystal’s bedroom, snacks and drinks all over as they tried to console their downhearted friend. It was a cold winter noon and it surely was felt inside the room.

Empty snack wrappers, drink bottles, pizza and tissue boxes occupied her bedroom floor. Clothes were all over the place as Crystal just picked up and threw her clothes before going back to search for Gigi. Even though her friends helped clean it up, as the next day came, it would just go back to the same messy bedroom.

The three took turns in accompanying Crystal during the evening. They would often find her writing messages and putting it in her music box or staring at the large portrait that the young lady made of her. She was pitiful, to say the least.

“Should I look for Nicolette or Rose? They are her friends. Maybe they’ll know what happened.” The teenager rushed to get her laptop and tried to look for the names of her friends but they were impossible to find. It must’ve been a common name back in their days.

“I should drive to where Gigi lived before. What if she wasn’t able to leave? I’ll do that tomorrow. Come with me, Jaida.”

“Don’t you think you are just wasting your time? I mean, we believe that Gigi exists and we believe all your stories. But take a look at it. She hasn’t shown up even once nor gave you any reply.” Heidi chimed in as she was putting a warm damp towel on Crystal’s forehead to comfort her.

“But she said she will be waiting for me.” The curly-haired teenager lied flat on her bed, tears at the corner of her eyes as she looked at the ceiling, holding on to the last letter that her girlfriend sent her. They had an agreed meeting place, she was sure that she would turn up but she didn’t.

“It has been 60 years for her… Don’t you th-“ Rock was stopped in her tracks when Jaida nudged her by the elbow, signaling her to quit talking. Her friends were all thinking of the same thing. It really had been decades for Gigi, she might’ve forgotten about it or something else might have happened to her, they hoped not.

“Don’t I think what? Tell me.” Crystal rushed back up and was about to advance to Rock when her two friends calmly kept her back. Tears came rolling down her eyes as she went back to sit on top of her bed. She covered her face, her shoulders slumping down as she let out all of her emotions.

“Oh Crystal.” Wrapping their arms around their weeping friend, they all murmured comforting words to her.

“I… I didn’t even get to tell her.”

“Tell her what?”

“That she means so much to me. That I love her this much.” She crawled into a ball as she embraced her knees closer to her chest, burying her face on it. “Why won’t she come meet me? Did she run away from me? I thought we both feel the same.”

“You need answers, Crys. We understand that.” Heidi took a deep breath as she looked at Jaida and Rock who nodded in unison. “What if… you go back to where it all started?”

“What do you mean, Heidi?” Crystal glanced at her friend, her left eyebrow raised slightly higher.

“Jackie’s thrift shop. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find your answers there.”

“Good afternoon, girls!” The owner of the shop glanced at the door as the bell chimed, seeing the four teenagers entering. She greeted them with her usual cheerful voice even though she was busy doing something. She immediately went back to stacking the boxes that just arrived back to her storage area.

“Let’s just go back home.” Holding Jaida’s arm, she tugged her back towards the door. Crystal’s face was dark and gloomy, her eyes lifeless.

“Oh, Ms. Crystal! It has been awhile.” Jackie continued bringing in another box coming from the front of the shop. She was followed by a young lady, her brunette locks from the back of her head were the ones Crystal noticed. 

“We’ll just be around, Crys. If you need us, just text us.” Rock patted her friend’s shoulder before going with the other girls. Heidi gave her a slight push towards the owner, encouraging her to find her long lost answers.

“Ms. Genevieve, thanks a lot for all these items.”

“No worries. I actually wanted to get rid of them but Granny insisted on selling them in a thrift shop instead. She said that maybe someone might find good use for these.” The young lady offered a kind smile to the owner before putting down the box she was carrying. It was full of old trinkets and knick-knacks, ranging from figurines to desk clocks and a bunch more.

The teenager strolled around the shop, looking at the paintings that were displayed at the corner. A painting of a beautiful meadow with a bench by the lake caught her attention. A sense of familiarity rushed into her as she walked closer to the painting. Thoughts of Gigi came into her mind, her smiles that were full of warmth, her laughter, the way her eyes brightened when they spent their dreams together. Crystal’s heartbeat was becoming too loud to her own ears. Her thoughts became blurry along with her eyes. She was about to make her way to the exit when Jackie noticed her.

“Ms. Genevieve, Ms. Crystal here actually bought some of the pieces you brought in the last time.”

“Really? Wow. What were the things you got?” The young lady turned to look at Crystal, who was standing by the paintings.

The teenager took a deep breath and cleared her throat as she tried speaking without breaking her voice. “Uhmm… Just a portrait and some box.” She looked up and turned her head towards the speaker. Her heart missed a beat, her dark orbs widened as she saw the girl she was talking to. Her brunette, with hints of red, locks shaped her small face, her almond eyes glistening excitedly as she met someone who was the new owner of her grandmother’s trinkets. Crystal’s eyes traced down to her nose placed perfectly in the middle of her face, her rosy plump lips offering a pleased smile. The teenager didn’t realize what she was doing until she heard the owner’s voice saying goodbye to the both of them.

“I’ll leave you two here. Maybe there are some stories about the items you bought that are interesting. Oh, how I love good histories. I’ll catch up with you soon, Ms. Genevieve.” Jackie waved goodbye to them as she walked back to the storage area.

“Do you wanna hear some of my Granny’s story? She loved telling story. She even remembered all the backstory of the items she showed me before. We can have some coffee before I go back to St. Louis.”

 _This was it._ Crystal thought to herself as she allowed the stranger led the way out, crossing the street and arriving to the nearest coffee shop by the corner. The curly-haired teenager followed silently after her. This might be the time she’ll find her answers.

The two sat across from each other on a table by the window. Crystal remained quiet, her mind wandering aimlessly as she played with the handle of her cup of warm coffee. The brunette girl broke the silence, cheerfully sharing stories of her grandmother. Meanwhile, Crystal was just listening to her, sometimes wondering why she talked so much and if it had anything to do with her Gigi.

“Granny really loved the items I brought to Ms. Jackie’s shop. She hoarded a lot of items and didn’t want to get rid of them. Grandpa didn’t mind tho. They were quite a collector. Or maybe hoarder… I honestly don’t know anymore, hahaha.” She let out a soft chuckle as she reminisced of her grandmother and grandfather.

“Granny and Granpa also loved paintings and artworks. They said they weren’t into the expensive ones that you can see from art galleries but I think they had a good eye when it comes to the paintings they collected together. I remember that there were times Granny and Grandpa would hang by the porch and paint together. They sound cute, right?”

“…Yeah.” Crystal meekly agreed, nodding her head once as she locked her eyes back to her cup of coffee. As she was wordlessly listening to the young lady’s stories, her mind was debating with itself. Her fingers silently tapped on top of the table, her leg nervously wobbling and shaking.

“Have you seen that small tree figurine by the shop? The silver one? Grandpa bought that for Granny. She said the tree was similar to the tree she always go to back then. I don’t know. It must have been special to her. Also, that small floral vase. Granny said that her friends bought that for her before. She said that she didn’t really put flowers on it back then, just her paint brushes that she used. Wait, am I too talkative? I’m sorry.”

Crystal lifted her head up in surprise as she shifted her eyes towards the young lady. She shook her head and offered her a faint smile. “No, it’s fine.”

“Sorry, my mom said Granny was really talkative and I might’ve gotten it from her. Hahaha. Oh, I also remember there was a time when I went to visit Granny back at their home in Illinois, I saw this beautiful box that she owned. When we opened it, it was full of random receipts, photographs and even movie tickets. Are you familiar with drive-in cinemas? They used to go there before and have their dates. How sweet.

“There was also this another chest, if I can remember it correctly. It had a cute drawing of two people on the lid. Grandma didn’t want me to open it because she said it was full of letters. Maybe they were love notes from her past lovers. Hahaha. Although Grandpa’s letters were kept on the same box as the cinema tickets. It must’ve been really important to her. They must’ve been really in love back in the days.”

Her mouth was running dry so Crystal took a quick sip from her drink. That story surely struck her interest and attention. It brought her back to the little sketch she made of Gigi and her, the one that she also had on her vanity. The stranger in front of her mentioned about letter. _Was it all of my letters for_ her _? Did Gigi really forget about me? Is that why she didn’t meet me that day?_

“However, I do remember Granny saying that she’s supposed to give those letters to someone. We have no idea who it might have been. She just mentioned that she wanted to hand it over to someone she hadn’t met in person before. Just through those letters inside the box. It was quite weird, don’t you think? I mean why would she give it to someone she doesn’t know.”

Suspicions were slowly building inside Crystal’s mind as she continued listening intently to the stranger’s stories. Her thoughts continued to banter against each other, as thoughts of Gigi came running back to her. She tried denying it but listening to all of Genevieve’s stories just made sense for her. _Maybe she did forget about me already._

The young lady took a long sip of her drink, smiling afterwards as she turned her look back to Crystal. The teenager glanced back and she noticed her soft smile which was a bit too much for her. It was just a constant reminder of her mysterious writer.

“Where is your grandm-“ Crystal’s voice a little too low that the stranger in front of her barely noticed.

“By the way, what were the things you bought again? Maybe I can share with you some stories about them. You know, my granny looooved her stories.”

Crystal dug in her pocket before taking out a small photograph. It was colored sepia, with a little bit of stains on the side which showed how vintage the picture was. The young lady took the little photo in her hand and examined the painting that was shown in it.

“Oh… wait, that’s Granny Gigi!” Just the sound of her name being uttered by someone else felt surreal. It brought shivers down her spine as she felt some beads of sweat coming down her neck. “Granny Roro said I looked a bit like her even when I was a baby, that’s why she insisted to my parents to name me Genevieve. She said that Granny Gigi was very lovely and pretty, as you can see her in the photo. Granny had a loooot of stories about Granny Gigi before. And that painting was really beautiful. Granny Gigi painted that. Granny Roro also told me that that painting was someone Granny Gigi deeply loved.”

“W-what do you mean Granny Roro? Who is she?” Crystal tilted her head to the side as a perplexed look appeared on her face. She obviously couldn’t comprehend all the information at once. All the names and the stories that the stranger in front of her seemed to be too much to process. Mentioning Gigi was where it all crumbled down on her.

“Granny Roro is my grandmother. The one who I was talking about earlier. Granny Gigi was one of her closest best friends together with Granny Nicky. They were quite a gang back then. I mean, they were all really close, like real sisters. That’s how Granny Roro would describe their friendship. I actually didn’t get to meet Granny Gigi but Granny Roro loved her so much. She and Granny Nicky. That’s why she kept some of her stuff.”

Crystal took a deep breath of relief as she realized who the young lady was talking about all along. She was really slowly getting into the conclusion that Gigi would have forgotten about her and married someone else instead. At least now, she was back into feeling that Gigi didn’t forget about her. There was a reassurance that at least their love was not just a fever dream.

“If you don’t mind, did your grandmother ever mentioned where Gi- your Grandma Gigi lives now?”

Genevieve exhaled a sigh before responding to Crystal’s question. “…No. She has been long gone. Back then, the three of them were travelling somewhere far. I don’t remember much about it but something must’ve happened. _Only Granny Roro and Granny Nicky survived._ ”

The last sentence rang again and again inside Crystal’s mind. Even though she heard it loud and clear, it still felt bizarre. Her eyes were clouded with tears that she tried so hard to repress. Her throat tightened and she could barely breathe. She looked up at the young lady and saw her lips moving but there was only silence. The only thing she was hearing were her anguished thoughts, the memories and words from Gigi kept coming back to her. She was in denial. She wished she was back inside her room, with her friends weeping just because she didn’t know where Gigi might have been. At least back then, she didn’t know.

“Oh, hey. Nice talking to you. I’m sorry but I gotta run now. I might miss the bus. I hope you enjoy some more stuff Granny left. She took care of them well so they are in good condition. Uhm, what’s your name again?

The brown-haired teenager exhaled heavily before standing up to shake the young lady’s hand without meeting with her eyes. She just couldn’t look at her face which reminded her of Gigi. “Crystal.”

“I’m Genevieve. Wait, Crystal? Hmm… That sounds quite familiar. I think Granny mentioned a name similar to yours. A friends of theirs or something, I think. Or maybe someone they knew back then. Anyway, nice meeting you! Take care.” Genevieve exited the coffee shop, leaving Crystal behind with her own thoughts. As soon as the young lady left, she packed her things as well. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. She ran out of the café and back to her house.

Crystal barely made it home without shedding a tear. She sprinted as fast as she can from the café, her knees wobbling weakly. Her eyes were foggy with sadness as she travelled, her head clouded with thoughts but at the same time empty. As she reached her bedroom, she immediately closed the door and fell on the floor, her back leaning against the wooden entrance. She could hold it in no longer. Once the first tear exited her eyes, the rest followed like pouring rain. She wrapped her arms around her knees, burying her face in between as she let her desolation take over her.

For what seemed like endless hours, the melancholic teenager sat motionlessly on the floor, staring at the vast emptiness in front of her. She let her sobs roll down her cheeks, as she scanned her small room. Her eyes stopped at the corner, where a portrait of a smiling girl was hanged. Despite her quivering knees, she used all her strength to push herself up. She walked heavily towards the corner, her hand reaching out to the painting. She picked it up and carefully removed the canvas out of its frame. She looked at the painting up close, staring at every stroke and print on the painting. Her hands traced down towards the lower corner, where the signature of the artist was placed. Her thumb delicately brushed against the indented letter ‘G’. Tears once again streamed down from her eyes as she was reminded of her lover. As she gently returned the canvas back to its frame, something dropped from the portrait. Chin trembling, Crystal picked up the paper that fell from the painting. She carefully returned the frame back to its place before she opened the piece of paper. She wept.

Crystal’s hands were trembling as she read the letter Gigi wrote for her. It contained all of the unsaid feelings the young lady had that she wasn’t able to express in words when they last met. As tears were rolling down her face, Crystal froze in her place, still taken aback by the letter.

All the memories they painted together came rushing back into her head, all the smiles and laughter they have shared. From the moment the music box first rang, their first exchange of letters, and the time they first met on the meadow. She reminisced about their first date by the beach, the time they held hands by the shore as they watched the sunset, their first kiss, up to the time they spent in the arcade and inside the car, their final moments together. She remembered everything, every look, every smile and words that came from Gigi’s lips. The warmth of her smiles, the feeling of happiness whenever she saw her happy, it all came back to her. She felt coldness struck her body as she reminisced the young lady’s touch, her hug and her petite frame leaning against her back at the drive-in. The feeling of her arms wrapping around her, forehead’s touching against each other consumed her. Gigi’s fingers running down her hair, her thumb brushing up against her cheeks, she could feel everything about Gigi, all at once. It was an overwhelming feeling, but at the same time, it brought her comfort. A contented smile crept on her lips as she looked at the portrait the scarlet-haired girl painted of her. She took a deep breath, holding the letter close to her heart, the place where _Gigi will forever live._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading up to here, thank you! As I’ve said earlier, I’m really thankful to all of you reading my work. This is my first ‘’long’’ one and I loved writing and thinking about it. I hope you did too. Although, it feels sad knowing that I ended this already. 😢 You can always comment down below on how you felt about this story. I hope you loved it. Thank you and hope to see you all again on my next works. Thank you! 💜 💜 💜


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